So, you're posting beautiful images on Instagram and writing clever captions and making use of Plann to ensure that your feed is on point. But, you're feeling like your posts are attracting crickets and nobody is actually consuming your stunning content.
The good news is, if you're already creating great sharing content, then congratulations -- you're already getting there! But there's one more component to the Instagram puzzle hashtags!
Powerful hashtags
Hashtags are like the road signs that lead people to your Instagram profile! Consider them as your own Google keywords for people to discover you. They help you be more visible to those who aren't following you and enable you to be part of wider conversations online.
It is true that figuring out how to find Instagram hashtags is one of the major difficulties and is where a lot of users become confused. How many hashtags should be using? Should you use it in your captions or in your comment section? And how do you know which ones are appropriate to put in your captions, so that you can make you visible to your ideal audience.
Never fear, we're here to help you navigate your way through the myriad of hashtags to ensure you can pick the appropriate ones to get your posts noticed by the most relevant people.
How many hashtags should you use on Instagram?
Instagram allows 30 hashtags to be employed on each post and we highly recommend taking advantage of all of them -- because this allows you to reach a larger audience. It may seem like much, but the more you utilize, the more eyeballs you get on your posts!
There is no strict guideline to when you should add these captions to your captions or as the first comment. It will look more professional in the first comment, but it's also easier to plan before you caption.
You can spice it up by using hashtags collections
That said, you don't wish to make the same 30 hashtags over and over again! Not just is the Instagram algorithm considered to not be a good thing using the same hashtags as well, but you're likely always attracting the same types of people.
It's vital to keep things fresh and regularly mix the hashtags you use. What is the best method for doing this is to use Hashtag sets!
In Plann you can make smaller sets of hashtags that you can easily select and select from each time you publish to reach the total of 30. We recommend using around 5-10 hashtags for each set, in alignment with your strategy themes (which you can define in Plann's 'strategy' section.)
So, you might have a hashtag set for your thought leadership posts, another for inspiration, another for education , and the list goes on! For instance, suppose that you're a makeup blogger and you have your own customized strategy prompts created in Plann which include beauty inspiration natural skincare, acne positivity and so on. You'll have specific hashtag sets that you have saved in Plann in those categories which you can easily copy and paste into your captions at the clicking of a mouse.
How to find the best Instagram hashtags to utilize
How can you find hashtags that you can use in your Instagram posts? The best way to begin is to actually think about the type of content that your audience is likely to be searching for.
Let's say you're selling products specifically for cats, and your customer base is made up of cat owners and cat enthusiasts. An excellent place to start is #cats but as we'll address in the next section this could be too competitive. Also, you'll need to look for hashtags that are related to that hashtag.
The way to do this is by heading to your Instagram feed entering 'cats' in your search bar. This will bring up an option to select other similar hashtags related to that search term, and also how many posts they've been used in.
You can also take the search to the next level, by choosing an hashtag within the list. You'll be able to see a different set of hashtags listed on the top of the screen, as shown in the photo below. This is an excellent base for building your hashtag collections on Plann together!
Another method of researching hashtags is to check out other Instagram accounts of other people who work in your field to see which hashtags they're using. Then, use them to create your own.
Size is important.
Hashtags are a bit of a Goldilocks situation. You don't want to use ones that are too big or too smallinstead, you want to use a mix of small-to-medium competition ones that fit just. If you're using hashtags you think are too popular (think, many thousands or more mentions) it could result in your content getting buried among a sea ad nauseam of posts and no one seeing it. But, if , however, you're using hashtags so specific and niche that it just has a few mentions, you're unlikely to find that anyone will search for it.
To determine the number of photos posted on a specific hashtag, simply type the name you'd like to use as hashtag in Instagram's search box on Instagram. Then check the number under the hashtag, as seen in the image below. This number indicates how many photos using this hashtag are being posted on Instagram in the present.
What's a suitable dimension for a hashtag?
To attract people who are very interested in your posts, we recommend that you search for Instagram hashtags that have under 500k posts (unless that you already have bigger following or a REALLY active audience, then you should definitely consider using larger hashtags). Don't be afraid of including some that are 20,000 or under and these could be the perfect fit for super-engaged users.
Another reason for you to locate Instagram hashtags that are between the mid-range and the smaller hashtags is that they are more visible. If someone searches on Instagram, the most popular photos sit in the Top Posts section. The remainder of the images are arranged chronologically in Most Recent, as shown in the image below.
"If the hashtag contains millions of images for example #beach then there is no photo that does not belong.
making it to the top, it will drop down to being buried in seconds."
Let's suppose you took an image from the shores of Santorini. Your photo would have so much better a chance of making it to the top of the list, Top 9, if you use the hashtag #santorinigreece, which has under 100,000 photos included, as opposed to #beach.
Get specific!
Let's get more clever with those hashtags. Let's say you're a fashion stylist, you'd probably be inclined to use the hashtag 'fashion'. But at over 350,000,000 hits on Instagram now, you're sure your picture is going to be seen by all of a split-second on the first page of results for the hashtag #fashion. Instead, it is possible to be focused and narrow down to a degree based on your business's needs and the picture you're posting.
Under #fashion, you can find #fashionstylist on around 2 million posts. Much better. Post your picture and you'll get lots of likes and your followers will be aware that you're a fashionista.
However, we could improve. Consider other keywords you could employ in your business. If for example, you'd like to inspire your followers with some new season fashion, a good hashtag to consider is #springstyle or #winterstyle, depending the location you reside in. With over 500,000 hits for each of these hashtags on Instagram in each one of the hashtags mentioned above, you're more likely to get noticed there than on #fashion. Additionally you'll be able to find out what your clients are searching for. Hurray! Now is the time to create your hashtag list selecting hashtags that define your company and product.
Beware of spammy Instagram hashtags for genuine followers.
To ensure that you're attracting real followers and the ideal target public, you must select the right hashtags to promote your business and images. Be aware that some hashtags attract spammers as well as certain kinds of images that you aren't likely to want to be associated with. The easiest way to avoid this is to research each hashtag you're considering making use of to ensure you're happy to be seen there.
The biggest culprits for spammers are hashtags such #instagood, #happy, #love and #followme to mention a few. These hashtags should be avoided If you don't wish to be spammed to death with many smiley faces or "follow me to gain FREE followers" comments. You will be able to recognize the hashtags you should avoid because they'll have over 100,000,000 posts on them. Checking how many photos have been shared on a particular hashtag not only helps you weed out spammy hashtags, but also allows you to discover those lesser mid-range hashtags to help you stand from the crowd.
Find Instagram hashtags that are used by feature accounts.
Another type of hashtag you should keep an eye on is one created by someone else who curates photos and reposts them on their Instagram page. This is done by ensuring that you apply their hashtag to your image, and if the account likes your post, they'll share it with a link to your Instagram page.
These kinds of Instagram accounts usually have a huge following that is why getting to be featured on their accounts is sort of a big deal that opens you up to an entirely new market.
A lot of people who are featured on curated accounts discover that their followers and followers count increase dramatically when they are discovered to a greater number of users.
Here's a listing of various types of accounts you could attempt to be featured on using their hashtag. Remember to look at the profiles first, to ensure that the photos are in line with their style. This will increase your chance of being featured as well as a greater likelihood of attracting people to examine what you're about.
That's it. Your definitive guide on how to use hashtags on Instagram to reach out to genuine users that are interested in exactly what you can provide. Utilize the advice in this article and you'll be in the hashtag heaven in no time, drawing more people into your Instagram account.
Did you know you can use Plann the visual scheduling application, to save hashtags into sets?
You can easily save your Instagram hashtags under custom themes, and include them in your very first comment!